work has come to a halt because david petraeus got involved with a reporter covering him. when we come back, what do you think of postponing your retirement for two years to cut down your deficit? how is that for a cause? it might happen. scoops and predictions from the

chris: welcome back. the fiscal cliff talks are focused on tax cuts, of course. but cuts to medicare are likely to be on the table as well and any grand bargain to cut the deficit. republicans may push social security on to the agenda as well. back when the new deal created entitlements and social security in 1935, life expectancy for american men was 60 and it's now 76. for women it was 64 back in roosevelt's time and 81,000. when the simpson proposal that many thought would be a

framework now, with social security already headed towards 67 had it eventually up to 69 but gradually over the next 50 years, that would save the budget for social security 7% for each full year we put that retirement eligibility in effect. other proposals on the table look at raising the medicare eligibility from 65 to 67. while the congressional budget office says that change would save 5% a year on medicare spending. sam, what do you make of this? >> here's my proposal. turn 65. if you have a life-threatening disease or one that could down the road clearly do that, you're eligible. the rest of us are maybe fairly healthy, you wait until 67. now, how do you determine who is life-threatening? easy to have a aortic valve replaced when you die. but, you know, the death panel. chris: how about you if have a tough physical job and you're driving a big semitruck across the country and working on a

jackhammer all day. it's not like being a successful lawyer somewhere showing up at the office of counsel or something. >> first of all, i think raising the eligible age for social security is a maybe. i would be surprised if -- maybe. medicare for all intents and purpose is off the table partly for the reasons you just mentioned. however, we have to keep in mind that when the early stages of negotiation, and what you hear out of the mouths of the leaders of the party right now may be a far cry from what they wind up with. chris: what do you think we ought to do? where are we going to cut back? we have a deficit problem. >> we have a deficit problem but it's my understanding if you do both these things, if you raise the age for social security and medicare it won't make that much of a difference and there at least will be a democratic leadership opening proposition. social security is not in trouble. medicare wouldn't make all that much difference. that's going to be their argument. chris: once the republicans do agree to a tax revenue increase

for the rich, then the democrats have to respond with something. >> that's the republican's argument. we keep agreeing to tax hikes and we get promised spending cuts that never happen. this time around we want to know spending cuts will follow if we agree to tax hikes on the table. everything's going to have to be up to discussion. america doesn't so much have a deficit problem as they do a health care problem and you've got to do something about the health care problem. cole: the people want the jobs at 65. >> it will just be a question of policy catching up with life, right? because people are already working older and older and this would be sort of adjusting. chris: do you expect to live 20 or 30 years after retirement? you want to save up after the kids are through college. >> absolutely right. >> and the only way the fiscal cliff ends correctly is it everybody is a little unhappy at the end. chris: thank for you saying that. >> the president wanted to rule out a grand bargain the other day at his news conference and say let's fix the taxes for the

middle class and down the line talk about the list. i don't think republicans want to buy that or should they buy that. probably at this point, the grand congress, do a grand bargain and come to grips. chris: let's give the democratic response which was the last 1 years under bush and obama because we continue the bush tax rates. the rich have been fat and happy and have done pretty well. is it time for them to pay something? >> i didn't say that. but for the president to say down the line we'll do the rest, wrong. do it now. one of the things that might be discussed is raising the limit right now, you pay social security at $113,000 a year, and if you raise that to $200,000 a year or $300,000 a year that you keep paying social security. chris: and medicare. >> and medicare. that that might be the kind of -- chris: i heard that argument. it's a liberal argument but a good one because it does address income -- >> exactly. chris: it makes the rich pay a little more. when we come back, scoops and

predictions from the notebooks of these top

chris: welcome back. tell me something i don't know, dan? >> i had a call this week from a republican congressman seeking to call attention to his efforts to move up the time line for the removal of our troops from afghanistan. now, this may indicate that it's more bipartisan support for that line of thinking than most people may realize. we've had bipartisanship on

issue by issue, even in recent times but not on the broad general thing but what this tells me and what people will think about is that with this in mind there may be things about which congress can reach some bipartisanship issue by issue as we go along. chris: we can only do so much -- a true conservative understands limits. how long can we stay in that country? >> exactly. >> and there's an amazement at the white house that senator mccain and senator graham went so hard after susan rice, having just come out of an election in which republicans lost votes among single women in particular and did badly with minorities, so to go off the susan rice, an african-american female, the white house saying what are they doing? chris: does it look that way as an observer, sexist? >> i wonder if something else is going on, whether lindsey graham wants to do something on immigration reform or is trying to cover his back on benghazi

or there are politicks to play but the white house can't understand the opportunity. chris: a lot of motives going on there. >> chris, i live in brooklyn and bringing you two updates for the sandy recovery on the effort back home. chris: good for you. >> good news and bad news. good news, the motorized wheelchairs are beginning to work again and old people's wheelchairs are powered by electricity and when the power goes out they literally can't move around. the power is beginning to come on in some of the high-rise buildings so people are able to recharge their wheelchair for really the first time in weeks and able to move around more easily again. that's the good news. the bad news is that things are still really tough. my synagogue was preparing lunch meals for kids at schools this week, and they found out that they not only had to do lunch, they had to do dinners for the kids to take home as well because there's no food at home. chris: "the new york times" is doing a good job with that. >> thank you. chris: a lot of pages focused on what's going on in the

burroughs. you usually don't focus on them but a lot of us are. >> i would follow up on the mccain-graham business, you saw what the president said at his news conference really steamed. we're told he has the votes in the senate. chris:. the secretary of state. >> they were leaning that way anyway but will say in effect i won the election and will put my secretary of state in. unless you can find something that really is objectionable, you'll approve her and i think they will. chris: we'll come back. the big question of the week, are john mccain and mitt romney giving the president a hard time for political reasons or the big one this week, personal reasons? is this persona

chris: welcome back. this week the two presidential rivals barack obama defeat have had been highly critical of him. mitt romney told his supporters

he lost because obama gave, quote, gifts, close quote to his base and john mccain continued to speak bitterly about the president and attacks at benghazi. the big question is this politics on the part of mccain or personal, dan rather? >> personal. >> politics. >> romney personal, mccain political. >> i think it's personal. a lot of people don't like this president, and i think that's the case here. chris: ok. thanks for a great roundtable. i agree. dan rather, katty kay, jodi kantor for "the new york times" and sam donaldson. that's the show. thanks for watching. hope you and your family have much to be grateful for. see you back here